1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technique for saving labor and increasing efficiency in setting of output parameters to be provided to an output device for use in printing.
2. Description of the Background Art
In producing paper media such as newspapers and magazines by printing, it is necessary to set output parameters, e.g. screen ruling and halftone dot type, for an output device to be used, depending on the type of printing paper to be printed. A printer who receives orders from a plurality of publishers to print magazines and the like must generally set different output parameters depending on the publishers and also depending on the magazines to carry out printing. Therefore, such a printer uses techniques for increasing the efficiency of parameter setting, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-121329 (1995).
One of the conventional techniques for increasing the efficiency includes performing automatic processing by preparing batch processing programs, e.g. known as “hot folders,” in which predetermined output conditions and the like are set beforehand, the number of batch processing programs being equal to the number of magazines and the like to be printed. Output parameters suitable for printing are set in each of the hot folders corresponding to the individual magazines and the like. When an operator selects a corresponding hot folder in response to a received order or an instruction to print, a predetermined output device automatically executes an output process on prepared print data in accordance with output parameters set beforehand in the selected hot folder.
However, the above-mentioned technique using the hot folders involves the needs to prepare the same number of hot folders as the magazines to be printed and to properly select a hot folder responsive to a received order or an instruction to print among the multiplicity of hot folders. Should an improper selection be made, printing will be carried out using unsuitable output parameters or unsuitable printing paper.